How to Check Domain Authority in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide

What Domain Authority Is and Why It Still Matters in 2026

Domain Authority (DA) is a proprietary score Moz calculates to predict how likely a website is to rank in search engine results. The score ranges from 1 to 100, with higher values indicating a greater ability to rank.

Why DA is still valid in 2026:

• Search engines rely on link-based trust signals.
• DA aggregates hundreds of factors into a single metric.
• Marketing teams continue to use it for competitive benchmarking.
• It correlates with organic traffic potential when adjusted for niche.

Moz updates DA every few weeks, so the score you see today may shift in the next cycle. Always pair DA with other metrics like referring domains, traffic estimates, and topical relevance.

Tools to Check Domain Authority in 2026

Tool	DA Source	Free Tier	Export Options	API Available
Moz Link Explorer	Moz DA	10 queries/month	CSV, Excel	Yes (v2)
Ahrefs Site Explorer	DR (Domain Rating)	5/day	CSV, PDF	Yes (v1)
SEMrush Domain Overview	Authority Score	10/day	CSV, Excel	Yes (v2)
Majestic Trust Flow	Trust Flow	10/day	CSV, Excel	Yes
Ubersuggest (Neil Patel)	DA	3/day	CSV	No
SEO Minion (Chrome)	Moz DA	Unlimited	None	No
Screaming Frog SEO Spider	Moz DA	500 URLs	CSV, Excel	No

When to use which tool:

• If you already pay for Moz Pro, stick with Link Explorer.
• If you need backlink gap analysis, Ahrefs is stronger.
• If you want a lightweight browser extension, SEO Minion works.
• If you need bulk processing under 10k URLs, Screaming Frog is reliable.

Step-by-Step: How to Check Domain Authority for Any Site

1. Open your chosen tool.
2. Enter the root domain (e.g., example.com)—do not include https:// or paths.
3. Wait for the score to load (usually <2 seconds).
4. Record the DA and note the last updated date.
5. Export the data if you plan to track changes over time.

Example (Moz Link Explorer):

# Query via Moz API v2
curl -X GET "https://api.moz.com/link-explorer/v2/url-metrics" \
  -H "Authorization: Basic YOUR_MOZ_ACCESS_KEY" \
  -d '{"target":"example.com"}'

Response:

{
  "root_domain": "example.com",
  "domain_authority": 72,
  "last_updated": "2026-05-12"
}

How to Interpret Domain Authority Scores

DA Range	Likely Ranking Potential
0–20	Unlikely to rank for competitive terms
21–40	Can rank for long-tail keywords
41–60	Competitive in mid-tail queries
61–80	Strong in most niches
81–100	Industry leaders or major brands

Actionable insights:

• If your DA is below 30 but you rank for niche keywords, focus on content depth.
• If your DA is 50+ but traffic is flat, audit technical SEO.
• If competitors have DA 20 points higher, prioritize link acquisition.

Comparing Domain Authority vs. Other SEO Metrics

Metric	What It Measures	Why It Matters	How It Differs from DA
Domain Rating (DR)	Link strength on a 0–100 scale	Shows backlink profile health	Uses Ahrefs’ own index and weighting
Trust Flow (TF)	Link trust based on topical relevance	Predicts ranking stability	Focuses on quality over quantity
Page Authority (PA)	Predicts single-page ranking	Useful for content audits	Page-level, not domain-level
Spam Score	Risk of search penalties	Flags low-quality sites	Moz-specific, not a ranking predictor

Rule of thumb in 2026:

• DA and DR usually correlate within ±10 points.
• Trust Flow above 30 indicates a clean backlink profile.
• Page Authority above 40 is a strong on-page signal.

How to Improve Domain Authority in 2026

1. Build High-Quality Backlinks

• Guest posts on DA 50+ sites in your niche.
• Broken link building: find dead links on relevant sites, suggest your content.
• HARO (Help a Reporter Out): earn links from news outlets.
• Digital PR: publish data-driven studies or expert roundups.

Example workflow:

1. Use Moz’s Link Intersect to find sites linking to competitors but not you.
2. Pitch a tailored resource (e.g., “2026 State of [Industry] Report”).
3. Secure 3–5 links per month from DA 40+ domains.

2. Clean Up Toxic Links

• Run a backlink audit every quarter.
• Use Moz’s Spam Score or Ahrefs’ Toxic Score.
• Disavow via Google Search Console if needed.

Disavow file format:

# Example disavow file
https://spam-site.com/bad-page
domain:spam-site.com

3. Optimize Internal Linking

• Use keyword-rich anchor text for important pages.
• Link from high-authority pages to low-authority ones.
• Aim for a “hub-and-spoke” structure.

Example internal link audit:

• Page A (DA 65): “Best CRM Software”
• Link to Page B (DA 30): “HubSpot vs Salesforce”
• Use anchor: “Compare HubSpot vs Salesforce in 2026”

4. Increase Content Depth and Freshness

• Update core pages every 6–12 months.
• Publish 2–4 long-form guides per quarter.
• Add schema markup (FAQ, HowTo, Review) to improve CTR.

5. Improve Technical SEO

• Fix crawl errors (404s, 5xx).
• Optimize site speed (<2s TTFB).
• Use HTTPS and canonical tags.

How to Track Domain Authority Over Time

1. Set Up a Tracking Sheet

Date	Domain	DA	DR	Referring Domains	Notes
2026-01-01	example.com	58	62	1,240	Baseline
2026-02-01	example.com	60	63	1,310	+2 DA

2. Use Google Sheets + Moz API

// Example Google Apps Script
function getDA() {
  const url = "https://api.moz.com/link-explorer/v2/url-metrics";
  const options = {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_KEY" },
    payload: JSON.stringify({ target: "example.com" })
  };
  const response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url, options);
  const data = JSON.parse(response.getContentText());
  return data.domain_authority;
}

3. Schedule Monthly Checks

• Use Zapier or Make to auto-log DA every 30 days.
• Add reminders in your project management tool.

Common Mistakes When Checking Domain Authority

• Using subdomains instead of root domains → blog.example.com ≠ example.com.
• Ignoring last updated date → DA from 6 months ago is stale.
• Assuming DA = ranking → DA is predictive, not deterministic.
• Chasing DA over relevance → A DA 60 site in a different niche won’t help you.
• Not auditing your own backlinks → You may be linking to toxic sites unknowingly.

Advanced: Automating DA Checks with APIs

Example: Python Script to Log DA Daily

import requests
import csv
from datetime import datetime

# Replace with your Moz API key
API_KEY = "your_moz_key"
DOMAIN = "example.com"
LOG_FILE = "da_log.csv"

def get_da(domain):
    url = "https://api.moz.com/link-explorer/v2/url-metrics"
    headers = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}
    payload = {"target": domain}
    response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=payload)
    return response.json()["domain_authority"]

def log_da(domain, da):
    with open(LOG_FILE, "a", newline="") as f:
        writer = csv.writer(f)
        writer.writerow([datetime.now().isoformat(), domain, da])

da = get_da(DOMAIN)
log_da(DOMAIN, da)
print(f"DA for {DOMAIN}: {da}")

Schedule with Cron (Linux)

# Run daily at 8 AM
0 8 * * * /usr/bin/python3 /path/to/da_logger.py >> /var/log/da_tracker.log

Closing: Make Domain Authority Work for You in 2026

Domain Authority remains a cornerstone metric for SEO strategy in 2026, but its power lies in actionable interpretation, not blind pursuit of a number. Use DA to identify gaps, prioritize link-building, and track progress—but always pair it with traffic data, keyword relevance, and technical health.

Start by auditing your backlink profile, cleaning toxic links, and securing 3–5 high-quality links monthly. Track DA monthly, automate where possible, and adjust strategy based on trends, not spikes. In a landscape where algorithm updates can shift rankings overnight, a strong link profile—measured by DA—remains your best predictor of long-term visibility.

The goal isn’t to hit DA 100. It’s to build a credible, authoritative domain that search engines trust and users value. Begin today.